Field
The present inventions relate to surgical tissue morcellators in which a cutter blade is both rotated and translated during operation.
Description of the Related Art
There are many situations in which it is desirable to remove unwanted tissue from a patient. Uterine fibroids and uterine polyps represent two such types of unwanted tissue. Uterine fibroids are well-defined, non-cancerous tumors that are commonly found in the smooth muscle layer of the uterus. Uterine polyps are wispy masses that are commonly found extending from the inner lining of the uterus. In many instances, uterine fibroids and uterine polyps can grow to be several centimeters in diameter and may cause symptoms like menorrhagia (prolonged or heavy menstrual bleeding), pelvic pressure or pain, and reproductive dysfunction. It is believed that uterine fibroids occur in a substantial percentage of the female population, perhaps in at least 20 to 40 percent of all women, and that uterine polyps occur in up to 10 percent of all women.
One type of treatment for uterine fibroids and uterine polyps is hysteroscopic resection. Hysteroscopic resection typically involves inserting a hysteroscope (i.e., an imaging scope) into the uterus through the vagina, i.e., transcervically, and then cutting away the unwanted tissue from the uterus using a device delivered to the unwanted tissue by the hysteroscope. Hysteroscopic resections typically fall into one of two varieties. In one variety, an electrocautery device in the form of a loop-shaped cutting wire is fixedly mounted on the distal end of the hysteroscope—the combination of the hysteroscope and the electrocautery device typically referred to as a resectoscope. The transmission of electrical current to the uterus with a resectoscope is typically monopolar, and the circuit is completed by a conductive path to the power unit for the device through a conductive pad applied to the patient's skin. In this manner, tissue is removed by contacting the loop with the part of the uterus wall of interest. Examples of such devices are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,615, inventor Thompson, issued May 25, 1999.
In the other variety of hysteroscopic resection, an electromechanical cutter is inserted through a working channel in the hysteroscope. The electromechanical cutter typically includes (i) a tubular member having a window through which tissue may enter and (ii) a cutting instrument positioned within the tubular member for cutting the tissue that has entered the tubular member through the window. In use, the cutter is positioned near the part of the uterus wall of interest. Tissue is then drawn, typically by suction, into the window, and then the tissue drawn into the window is cut with the cutting instrument. Examples of the electromechanical cutter variety of hysteroscopic resection are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,226,459, inventors Cesarini et al., issued Jun. 5, 2007; U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,673, inventors Savage et al., issued Mar. 7, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,752, inventors Alden et al., issued Mar. 24, 1998; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2009/0270898 A1, inventors Chin et al., published Oct. 29, 2009; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2009/0270812 A1, inventors Litscher et al., published Oct. 29, 2009; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2006/0047185 A1, inventors Shener et al., published Mar. 2, 2006; and PCT International Publication No. WO 99/11184, published Mar. 11, 1999, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.